Liam Payne's cause of death revealed in preliminary autopsy

Liam Payne’s cause of death revealed after preliminary autopsy of the One Direction singer

Liam Payne with a shaved head wearing a blue flannel shirt smiling and posing with his right hand up

Oct. 17, 2024 11:56 AM PT

Pop singer and former One Direction star Liam Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine officials announced Thursday.

The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina said in a statement in Spanish that authorities found substances in Payne’s room that appeared to be drugs in addition to evidence of alcohol and narcotics consumption.

Investigators interviewed five witnesses — three hotel workers and two women — to create a timeline of Payne’s last hours, the statement said. The witnesses had been with Payne in his hotel room earlier Wednesday but had left the property by the time he fell, according to police.

Payne died Wednesday evening, Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, confirmed to local media. The British singer succumbed to injuries he suffered in the fall, with no chance of resuscitation, Crescenti said in Spanish. He was 31.

The incident is being investigated as a “doubtful death,” typical protocol in Argentina, officials said Thursday. Payne appeared to be alone and under the influence of drugs when he fell, the statement said. Local police who surveyed his hotel room noted “various destroyed objects and furniture,” including a smashed TV screen, in addition to the drugs and alcohol, it said.

Medical examiners have requested a toxicology report, with the results expected in the future, and forensic experts found no evidence of defensive injuries or foul play, the statement said.

Pablo Policicchio, a spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said Wednesday that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” He said police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Arriving police heard a thud and found Payne’s body in the hotel courtyard, Policicchio said.

Police gather on the street at night in front of a hotel with large glass windows in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The prosecutor’s office determined from the position of Payne’s body and the injuries he sustained that he “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” officials added in Thursday’s statement. The musician’s body was transported to the morgue, where doctors performed an autopsy between 9:45 p.m. and 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, local time.

Payne died two weeks after he arrived in Argentina to attend the Oct. 2 concert of fellow One Direction singer Niall Horan. He had traveled with girlfriend Kate Cassidy, but she left Argentina earlier this week.

Payne, known among One Direction fans as a quieter member of the group, was best known for his role in the “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” global phenomenon. He performed alongside Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles. In 2016, a year after Malik’s exit from the group, One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus while its members pursued solo careers.

Payne released his first single, “Strip That Down,” with rapper Quavo in 2017 and went on to collaborate with artists including French Montana, Ed Sheeran and Charlie Puth. His solo releases include “Bedroom Floor” and his most recent single, “Teardrops,” released in March. “LP1,” released in December 2019, was Payne’s only solo album.

The singer was open about his struggles with substance abuse, detailing a 100-day stay in rehab in a July 2023 YouTube video.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.